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Mayors
Griffin,
Whalen Lead Discussion on Gaming
Report By Tom McClimon There has been little change in public opinion towards gaming over the last twenty years" was the conclusion reached by a national public opinion survey released by Luntz Research Companies and Peter D. Hart Research Associates. The results show that 50 percent of the public finds gaming to be personally acceptable, 25 percent find gaming acceptable to others, but not themselves, and 25 percent find gaming to be unacceptable. Out of this amount , approximately 17 percent find gaming unacceptable in all forms. These results were released at a meeting of the Gaming Task Force chaired by Reno Mayor James Griffin and Atlantic City Mayor James Whelan. Eighty-five percent of the public agree with the statement that "gambling is a personal choice and that the government should not be telling adults what they should and should not do." The challenge in local referendums on gambling is that those people who favor gambling, most often young people, do not vote as heavily as the elderly who usually oppose gambling. Other major results of the survey showed that more people have experienced gaming, over 17percent in the last ten years. Over 53 percent of the public believes that the benefits of gaming in jobs and tax revenues offset any negative influences. Most people also want programs targeted at underage gambling and that whether to have gambling in a community should be a local, not national issue.
    
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